The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashittey, on Tuesday, toured some schools in the Region to observe the annual ‘My First Day in School’ and to welcome newly admitted pupils to the learning environment.
The visit was also to present them with some school items including; copy books, school bags, pencils, erasers among others to enhance learning and refresh them to feel welcomed in their new environment.
The Minister with his entourage visited the Abokobi Presbyterian Nursery /Kindergarten in the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Adjiringanor, Adenta Muincipal Assembly Kindergaten in the Adentan Municipal Assembly and the Fire Amour Cluster of Schools in the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly.
The team included; the Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Monica Ankrah, and the Chief Director of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, Ernest Nyagbe.
Mr. Ashittey advised the pupils to learn hard to become responsible citizens for the country and parents in the future.
He said education was critical to a nation’s development hence the need to equip the pupils with the requisite knowledge, skills and aptitude to compete with the best in the world.
The Minister commended the teachers for their effort and urged them to teach and mentor the pupils to ensure their success.
He advised the teachers to initiate innovative ideas that would ease learning in the classroom, especially at the Creche and lower Primary level and appealed to them to make the school a home for the Kids to attend school.
The Municipal Chief Executives of the three Municipalities, municipal Directors of Education, Head Teachers and Staff of the various schools received the Minister and his entourage.
Mr. Ashittey, however, noticed some issues of sanitation at the Adjiringanor Adenta Muincipal Assembly Kindergaten with a refuse dump and appealed to the Adentan Municipal Chief Executive, Daniel Alexander Nii-Noi Adumuah, to get rid of it as it was a threat to the pupils health.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Monica Ankrah, said the Ghana Education Service was collaborating with Ghana Health Service to carry out health screening for the pupils on the first day of arrival to school, adding that it was an initiative piloted in 2018.
She said the visit was also an opportunity to observe the infrastructures of the schools and to address challenges.
The screening was to check their sight, vision and talking abilities and provide their parents with the results and steps to take when a child is affected.
There was a total of 97 new entrants from the schools visited, 20 at Abokobi Presbyterian Nursery /Kindergarten, seven at the Fire Amour 1 Basic and 70 at the Adjiringanor Adenta Municipal Assembly Kindergarten.
